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MLS-powered websites a bigger deal than you might think

By February 2, 2015 One Comment

More than half of prospective buyers in Northern Colorado are getting information on listings from MLS-powered websites, according to a multiple listing service that’s deployed a free monitoring tool offered by ListTrac.

Information and Real Estate Services LLC (IRES), which has more than 5,000 members, is using ListTrac to measure how many views and leads listings generate on not only IRES’ MLS public-facing sites, ColoProperty.com and AtHomeColorado.com, but on Internet data exchange (IDX) websites operated by member brokers and agents. The tool also measures leads generated by email prospecting tools used by agents inside the MLS system at iresis.com.

Lauren Hansen

Lauren Hansen

“Tracking consumer listing views on portals like Zillow, Trulia or realtor.com has long been a practice of real estate professionals,” said Lauren Hansen, CEO of IRES, in a statement. “Today, with the launch of ListTrac, sellers will see for the very first time that more than 50 percent of buyers looking at their home are viewing it through MLS-provided services.”

To date, ColoProperty.com has consistently generated more email inquiries than any other site, according to the Listhub monthly traffic reports, Hansen told Inman.

MLS websites, MLS systems, brokerage websites and agent websites attract “an enormous amount” of consumer engagement, said ListTrac CEO Trent Gardner.

Trent Gardner

Trent Gardner

“In other markets operating our service, sellers and professionals have recognized that the MLS is the single most effective place to market a home for sale, equaling or exceeding listing engagement on all third-party portals combined,” he said in a statement.

So far, 14 MLSs representing 210,000 agents and brokers in 13 states have signed up to incorporate the ListTrac.

“ListTrac is fast becoming a must-have capability for every MLS, as it gives brokers and agents real-time insight into their listing activity — what’s works and what doesn’t — and that will allow them to increase their effectiveness for sellers,” Hansen said.

Last week, global syndicator Previsite and ListTrac announced a partnership to track listing performance on more than 70 portals worldwide.

Gardner said ListTrac is talking to Zillow and Trulia about implementing ListTrac’s monitoring code on those sites.

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